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Academics in Early Childhood

by Marjorie Kostelnik
March/April 2008
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/academics-in-early-childhood/5018057/

A baby ‘Pats the Bunny’
A toddler holds up two fingers to show her age
A three year old sings bits of the ABC song
A four year old aligns one cup and one napkin at each place around the snack table
The five year olds keep a running list of who still wants a turn to pilot the ship

All of these children are exploring elements of literacy and numeracy. Such explorations begin in the earliest days of life and are a natural outgrowth of children’s curiosity and interest in how the world works. Based on experiences like these, children build a reservoir of knowledge about language, reading, and mathematics that they take with them to kindergarten, first grade, and beyond.

The playing field is uneven for poor children

Unfortunately, some children are not having the kinds of early experiences they need to develop foundational knowledge and skills. In fact, kindergarten teachers report that one out of three children begin formal schooling lacking the basic experiences they need to succeed. Most often, these children come from families living close to or below the poverty line (National Center for Education Statistics, 2000). Although growing up in a poor family does not guarantee school failure, children from such families ...

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